Broken Open
by Dreams Of A Shipper
Summary: Warning, spoilers! Based during the unseen parts of S03 E23. Lydia tries to deal and cope with the events that occur in trying to save her from Void Stiles. She learns that, in being strong for others, you can be weak for you, too. You'll always have someone to be strong for you in return.


**Hi anyone who happens to have ventured into this story!**

 **I've tried my hand at a Stydia story, not sure how you'll all like it, but I couldn't get this out of my head. (Ps MAJOR spoilers ahead, so if you're not past the end of season 3, back pedal quickly!)**

 **This follows the events of 3x23, an epicly tragic episode on my books! I was heart broken, I was not happy with who they killed off (not naming names, in case this catches anyone's eye who has not caught up and is exiting this story, hopefully only until they have caught up ;) ) Sorry! Rambling...**

 **Anyway, if you can, listen to Whitaker - My Own while reading this. I have had this song - from Teen Wolf - on a loop while writing this. The build after 3:30 mins... Ugh, so emotional! Gets me every time!**

 **Ok. I will shut up now!**

 **Really hope you enjoy and they're in character. Please review if you don't mind! :)**

 **Happy readings!**

* * *

" _Alisooooooooon_!"

Lydia's scream ripped through the echoing corridor, the unconscious boy slumped beside her unaware of the agony now coursing through her body.

She was dead. Her best friend - gone.

Her banshee instincts had hit her like a tsunami wave, washing the icy fear through her veins. Stiles had just collapsed, exhaustion and the internal war that had been waged on him by the nogitsune leaving him on the brink of death. Lydia had been trying to keep him awake when she felt it.

She could almost feel the blade enter Alison's body, slicing and tearing through her organs and leaving unfixable damage.

Lydia felt crippled by the pain and fell forwards with her tears, slumping on Stiles' shoulder. Sobs and agonised gasps were escaping her throat, her cheeks damp and raw in seconds.

How had she not seen this coming before? She could have stopped this, but she was blind sighted.

"Lydia?"

A croaky whisper sounded by her ear and she looked up to find brown eyes ringed with black shadows blearily looking down into her blue ones ringed with red.

"Stiles, are you alright?" She asked, sitting up and placing a hand on his chest, her worry temporarily overshadowing her sorrow.

"What's wrong? What...happened?" He asked, his voice as weak as his body. He was frowning at the sight of her in tears, anxious fear making him worry that the nogitsune had done something else while wearing his face, making it hard to separate their actions when emotions ran high.

Lydia licked her lips, trying to regain enough composure to say it out loud.

"It's Alison..." Was all she managed before another sob ripped through her. She braced her hands on the floor, her shoulders shaking.

Stiles eyes widened slightly, realisation dawning in them. He opened his mouth to say something, but there was nothing, no words of comfort that could possibly do anything but insult the situation.

Instead, he placed an arm around her back, the other drawing her head to his shoulder. She gratefully gripped his shoulder and shirt front and let his presence keep her sane.

After what felt like a lifetime, she pulled back and wiped her face, feeling weak herself, but knowing she was the strength they both needed right now to get Stiles out.

"Come on Stiles. We need to get out of here," she said, summoning all the composure she could. He needed her right now. She hadn't been able to help Alison, but she was going to help him, that was for damn sure.

Supporting him under the arms, she gently guided him to his feet. He was as pale as a fresh bed of snow, save the charcoal smudges haunting his eyes.

They wound their way through the hallways and eventually made it out into the inky dark night, death and sorrow heavy in the air, although Lydia was sure that was more her banshee awareness than anything.

"Ok, hold on let me just get the gate..." Lydia had been trying to readjust her hold on Stiles to open the chain gate when her voice died in her throat.

The sight they'd emerged on would forever haunt Lydia.

Scott was kneeling on the ground, his face vacant and lost.

Beside him, Chris Argent was slowly sinking to the ground, his eyes peeled downwards, to what was laying across Scott's lap.

Alison was being tenderly held to him, her eyes closed and arm fallen to the ground.

Lydia froze, the chain link gate biting into her vice like grip. Something inside her recoiled and she felt a last stray tear cascade down her face.

She felt Stiles gaze on her, but she couldn't acknowledge anything. She could only stare.

Mr Argent was talking to Scott, an oddly detached, neutral expression on his face. Scott's eyebrows were turned up in a sorrowful expression, his hands still gripping Alison.

She was vaguely aware of Kira, her mother and Isaac in the background.

Her vision was distracted by a long, strong hand gently placing itself on hers, loosening her death grip.

"Lydia, let go," Stiles spoke softly to her, knowing what she needed. To go say goodbye.

When she finally released the gate, he used her own support of his body to guide her quietly over to Scott.

The two men looked up in their direction, no one knowing what to say. Mr Argent got to his feet and walked away, leaving room for Lydia to kneel in his place.

Scott's eyes said it all, all the pain and grief brimming over into the tears slipping from his lower eyelids. The two cried silently while Lydia turned her gaze to her friends broken body.

Blood stained her torso and hands, though the flow had ceased along with the beat of her heart.

"Alison," Lydia whispered, willing and praying for her eyes to open for her to pull in a breath and come back to them all. Her lashes never stirred, remaining closed to the world.

Lydia blinked back more tears, reaching forward to wipe blood from the corner of her mouth.

A hand gently caught hers before she could wipe the blood away and she looked up at Alison's fathers face.

"I'm sorry Lydia. But you can't. We can't leave any trace of our being present here for this," his voice slightly betrayed his emotions, heavy with emotion that was fighting to the surface. His cool demeanour, however, kept his features in check. He glanced up at Scott.

"This is something Scott and I have to take care of."

Scott frowned at him, dreading what that meant.

"You kids should get out of here. It's not safe, especially with Stiles in this condition. You need to go," he pulled Lydia to her feet, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Go, we have this."

She glanced down at Alison's body before once again taking hold of a Stiles and leading him away. The others turned to leave as well, Isaac looking distraught and in shock. Kira's mother was guiding Kira out with a hand on the back, urging her forwards.

When they were nearly out of the compound, Lydia couldn't help but turn back to look over her and Stiles' shoulder, to take one last look at her friend.

"Goodbye, Alison," she whispered, soft enough that Stiles didn't catch it. Forcing herself to look forwards now, she, along with the others, melted into the dark and away from this evil place.

* * *

They were driving back, Lydia driving Stiles to Kira's house. He had refused to go with them, insisting he stay with Lydia.

Realising they were wasting time, Lydia had bundled him into the Jeep and told Kira's mother she'd drop him straight over.

So, here they were, alone in his battered, beloved vehicle.

The silence had stretched on, the two of them not actually exchanging many words.

Again, what was there to say?

They were both trapped in their dementing thoughts, too much to process almost.

Now they were stopped at traffic lights, the road empty at this time of night and in this area. Stiles sat in the passenger seat, a million thoughts racing through his mind.

Where was the nogitsune now?

How much more pain would they all endure?

What was it Scott and Mr Argent would have to do to about Alison?

The red glow flicked to green, shining and blurring at the edges. The jeep remained motionless and Stiles glanced over at Lydia.

She was sitting gripping the steering wheel, staring at nothing, her eyes wide and full of tortured emotions.

Her full lips were twitching slightly, as if trying to form words that wouldn't come.

"Lydia?" He questioned gingerly, his brow hitching in the middle with worry.

"What use are they? I couldn't do anything... I couldn't save her," she whispered, still staring into the nothingness that had claimed her.

"You mean Alison?" It wasn't so much a question, but a confirmation.

She slowly turned her gaze to his, the helplessness, sorrow and confusion all burning in her blue eyes as she stared at him.

A single tear slid down her cheek.

"I can predict death. I knew something would happen if you all came to find me. But... I couldn't see what. Until it was too late," her eyebrow rose and she sucked in her lower lip, the way she did when she was feeling overwhelmed. "Why couldn't I see it?"

"Lydia, you can't blame yourself, alright?" He turned in his seat so he was facing her, the empty road forgotten. He hated seeing her being so harsh on herself. "You can't control how you see these things. And we've never dealt with a nogitsune before. How do you know he wasn't interfering somehow with your powers? Let's not forget the mind tricks he was able to play on us," Stiles said bitterly, shaking his head and looking at the dash.

"I should have been able to save her. I never asked for this... I never _wanted_ this! Why... Why couldn't I just save her?!" She burst out, her quiet voice becoming hysterical and frantic. She was breathing heavily, staring ahead again.

Stiles could practically feel the tension about burst within her as she twisted her grip on the wheel.

"Lydia, stop! This isn't your fault," he tried to get through to her, but she wasn't listening, wasn't present, just caught in the thoughts haunting her.

"Why didn't you _tell me_?" She shouted, clutching her head now, as if responding to a voice in her head. Stiles didn't fully understand how the whole banshee thing worked, but he as pretty sure this wasn't a good sign.

"Hey, listen to me, ok?" He desperately tried to get her attention, hands gripping her upper arms. He was fighting over something he couldn't hear, couldn't understand though, and it was clearly drowning him out.

She was gasping and shaking her head, eyes scrunched closed.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and before he knew what had happened, she ripped open the door and leapt out.

"Lydia!"

Rushing out of the jeep after her, he'd only got a few paces when she started falling to her knees in the middle of the intersection, her shoulders tensing and her head falling back.

He knew what was coming.

The scream ripped through the night air, more than a scream, a thousand echoing tears filling each morsel of sound as it clawed its way out of her chest. It rang and tore out of her, making her feel like she was going to be consumed by it.

Stiles shoved his hands over his ears, the scream pulsing in them and through to his brain.

He watched as she landed on her knees, almost shaking as the last of it shred out of her body.

With a sob, her arms fell to her sides, her eyes scrunching up again for a second as tears poured under her lids and claimed her cheeks as their flowing course.

Stiles lurched forward, coming around to face her, his hand on her shoulder as he crouched down. She sobbed and looked into his eyes, the tears never stopping.

"I could have saved her," she whispered, finally back in reality with him.

He felt tears threatening his own eyes, her pain tearing himself apart as her scream did her.

Knowing she didn't need words, he pulled her into an embrace once more, holding her as she she fell apart in his arms.

It wasn't fair, that she had such a burden to carry, that she should have to deal with the consequences of something she didn't ask for or fully understand.

He felt a fury that had no deserving target course through him.

"I'm telling you Lydia, the only person who's to blame for this is the nogitsune. And I promise," he stated in a voice rough with emotion, pulling back to look her in the eye, "I'll make him pay for what he did to us all. To Alison. To you."

Lydia gazed into his eyes, so brown and full of protective caring for her.

And she knew he would do anything to keep his word.

For her.

"Stiles..." She whispered, biting her lips in an attempt to stop her mouth quiver with emotion and her eyebrows pulled up together in the middle. She couldn't voice how grateful she was, how much she needed him right now, how she always needed him. And how grateful she was he was always there.

"I know," he answered, his small smile crooked, knowing her well enough that he could guess her unspoken thoughts. "You don't need to say it. I'll always be here for you, ok?"

The two broken souls sat hand in hand on the cold dark road, their gazes on each other.

Maybe, Lydia thought, they couldn't fix or heal each other, not with all the pain and loss they'd gone through.

No, she didn't think any of them could come back from the things they had all endured.

But maybe, with the help of this boy who had always known her, always seen her for who she _really_ was, and her understanding and support for the boy who had captured her heart...

Well maybe they could help hold each other together. They could overcome it all.

They could go on to fight another day.

Together...

* * *

 **Hope you were able to get in that emotional state of mind for this and could listen to that song! Really makes it, I think! Also, I always picture their little gestures and facial expressions as well as their voices.**

 **So, let me know what you think if you would! :)**

 **Happy readings and God bless!**


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